USP10 promotes migration and cisplatin resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the main treatment option for advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, most ESCC patients develop drug resistance within 2 years after receiving cisplatin chemotherapy. Ubiquitin-specific protease 10 (USP10) is abnormally expressed in a variety of cancers, but the mechanistic roles of USP10 in ESCC are still obscure. Here, the effects of USP10 on the migration and cisplatin resistance of ESCC in vivo and in vitro and the underlying mechanisms have been investigated by bioinformatics analysis, RT-PCR, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, immunohistochemistry, cell migration and MTS cell proliferation assays, deubiquitination assay, and mouse tail vein injection model. USP10 was significantly up-regulated in ESCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues in both public databases and clinical samples and was closely associated with overall survival. Subsequent results revealed that USP10 contributed to the migration and cisplatin resistance of ESCC cells, while knocking down USP10 in cisplatin-resistant cells exhibited opposite effects in vitro and in vivo. Further Co-IP experiments showed that integrin β1 and YAP might be targets for USP10 deubiquitination. Moreover, deficiency of USP10 significantly inhibited the migrative and chemo-resistant abilities of ESCC cells, which could be majorly reversed by integrin β1 or YAP reconstitution. Altogether, USP10 was required for migration and cisplatin resistance in ESCC through deubiquinating and stabilizing integrin β1/YAP, highlighting that inhibition of USP10 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for ESCC.